Painting an RC Warbird, Part 4
In this ultimate installment, Lane Crabtree creates his CARF Models P-51’s Hurry Home Honey nostril artwork, invasion stripes, and engine exhaust stains. In earlier articles, he started by documenting how he primed and painted the silver and olive drab, masked the canopy and created the stars and bars, after which he applied the squadron markings and the checkerboard pattern.
For the Hurry Home Honey script “nostril artwork” (left aspect solely), Callie offered a much-needed two-stage paint masks. This is likely one of the invaluable issues paint masks can do for you – artist work. I couldn’t do that in 100 years by hand. Here’s the way it works. The first paint masks is laid out on the nostril with cautious positioning. After sealing the perimeters and masking off round it as required, paint the bottom coat of yellow. Once the yellow is dry (keep in mind to attend a LONG TIME) add the second paint masks that covers up a lot of the yellow after which hit it with the intense purple. This provides you with a shadow impact round all of the letters. You want to make use of a really mild combination of dish washing cleaning soap sprayed beneath the second masks to slip them round a bit until you get them the place you need them. Again, let that dry completely earlier than portray. Remove all of the masks and you’re finished. And use rattle can paint for this as latex simply received’t work as properly for concern of peeling off when eradicating the masks.
Before I completed the checkerboards, ready for the yellow to dry, I added the HHH script. Now, I simply found I’ve no in-process pictures of this! See textual content for directions.
One of the final issues to do on the fuselage is so as to add the tail numbers. Callie offered paint masks for these additionally. Just keep in mind to alternate paint colours. On HHH, I found on the rudder the 413 on the proper aspect and 586 on the left aspect have been black paint, reasonably than OD Shade 41.
This is the place we’re to this point. Not completely mentioned is that I used Matte Polycrylic Water Based Clear coat over the complete fuselage. This protects the paint and offers an total even sheen to the paint job. This is an non-obligatory step – exterior latex home paint by itself has been proven to be very efficient on fuel powered RC planes of all types. Suit your self on this matter.
What we’ve left to do are the wing halves. All the processes are the identical as we’ve seen so let’s stroll through the elements with out all the person steps.
Wing has been primed on each side, backside painted silver, high painted OD shade 41, and the invasion stripes utilized. Nothing actually totally different than the fuselage. Just you should definitely test that your stripes are parallel to the wing root. Then after the white has been finished, lay the black stripes out parallel to the complete structure. I appear to recall all of the stripes have been 4 inches large, occasions 5, equals 20 inches. This agrees with the total scale structure very carefully.
Top of wing is OD Shade 41 and the white wing flash is added. The white flash meets the inboard white invasion stripe on the underside wing main and trailing edges. Another word, I left all of the management surfaces on the wing and fuselage whereas portray. I didn’t see the necessity to take away them for portray. I used to be capable of prolong the flaps as proven above to get paint the place it was wanted with out removing.
Again, let’s minimize to the chase and see the ultimate throwdown – Stars and Bars. One factor I found AFTER portray is that the top-side STAR is meant to be cut up dead-center on the small fairing in entrance of the aileron. Ooops! Just an inch or so too far inboard. Bottom of wing is OK.
No warbird is full with out victory markings! Callie offered these as properly. I despatched her an E-Mail suggesting that the spacing may very well be tightened up each horizontally and vertically. Other than that, labored out very properly. Also word, the small nomenclatures are proven right here – dry rub-ons. They want clear-coating after utility or they’ll flake off.
One extra paint masks from Callie is the air consumption display screen This is a one-step masks I painted black. I used this as a result of I didn’t open the precise holes within the fuselage. I wanted them closed to pressure cooling air previous the engine cooling fins.
Those screws forward of the display screen bought painted later with silver. In truth, I painted a slew of screws in a number of colours to make use of for extras in case I lose just a few alongside the best way.
One of the HARDEST elements of this paint job to get right have been the exhaust stains from the mighty Rolls Royce V-12! I’ll present a few early makes an attempt earlier than exhibiting the ultimate model. This is one space that Cassie doesn’t provide masks for. You are going to should be an artist for just a little bit. But, my recommendation right here is to seal the fuselage paint beforehand with Polycrylic after which use acrylic paints from Hobby Lobby or another craft retailer for the exhaust stains. Purchase some black, white, bone white, yellow ochre, burnt umber, and so on, that you’ll want to combine the colours with. By sealing the fuselage with Polycrylic first, should you mess up, the acrylics might be cleaned with a moist washcloth, and you’ll have one other go. After 5 tries, I bought it proper on the sixth! Whew. The hardest half on the stains is utilizing restraint and GOING LIGHTLY. You can take a look at any warbird and see that they’re nearly clear. It is the pure tendency (for a non-artist) to make them darkish and heavy. Looks kinda cool, however extra like a cartoon than real-world. You can see a few of my makes an attempt under. I’ve to present many because of the blokes at Radio Control Scale Builder website online for his or her feedback on getting the stains right. They have been form, however relentless until I bought them right! haha. Once the exhaust stains have been passable, I clear coated them to seal the water colours.
Assortment of acrylic paints out of your native craft retailer are nice for portray exhaust stains and pilot figures. Buy a coloration wheel to assist in mixing your individual colours.
I felt a warbird wants some exhaust stains so I laid some tape right down to get the stream right. I didn’t depart the tape for portray, however traced some mild pencil strains to go by.
One of the primary makes an attempt. I prefer it. But very cartoonish. Too heavy. Flow line could be very near right, nevertheless. Also word the exhaust stubs. The first one is simply rusty trying, however the subsequent 5 get that whitish gray lead coating.
A bit higher effort, however nonetheless too heavy. Not clear in any respect. I like this one too; RCSB guys … not a lot. Ha.
Finally bought it proper! You should be very mild with the airbrush to do it accurately. It is simple to get carried away. The ultimate exhaust stain model used two colours, a light-weight charcoal-black after which a light-weight greyish coloration. You should “waft” the paint on. Of course, these water-colors (acrylic paints) don’t come ready-mixed within the lights and darks you see right here, you must combine them up your self. It’s not that onerous to do. Experiment on a cardboard field earlier than truly portray them, not solely to test the colours, however to set your airbrush stream fee and air strain.
Opposite aspect. Pretty near the left aspect, however barely totally different as the true deal can be.
That’s a short run-thru of the paint course of for Hurry Home Honey. Many extra hours might be spent weathering and detailing a warbird like this one. But to make use of a quote attributed to Dave Platt, “You by no means actually end a scale plane, you simply give up engaged on it.” Like most tasks, glad this one is behind me however trying ahead to the subsequent one!
TEXT AND PHOTOS BY LANE CRABTREE